Parliament might partially close SAA briefings
Market-sensitive issues considered as finance committee mulls closed-door meeting
The finance committee has agreed to explore the possibility of holding parts of briefings by state-owned airline South African Airways (SAA) in closed session when the matters under discussion are market sensitive. This could affect the briefing that SAA is due to present late next week. Holding parliamentary meetings behind closed doors is highly controversial and is closely regulated by the rules of Parliament. The Constitution also stipulates that parliamentary committee meetings cannot be closed in an open and democratic society, unless it is reasonable and justifiable to do so.
Parliamentary legal adviser Frank Jenkins told the committee on Thursday that SAA matters would legitimately fall within the rules of Parliament. The rules require that an application be made to the Office of the Speaker for a committee meeting to be closed. Committee chairman Yunus Carrim emphasised that if the committee decided the matters raised in the closed meeting were not market sensitive, t...
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